Prize
by FreedomRunner
Summary: The Imperial Army sets up base on Earth, protecting both the mortal and immortal realms from a new threat back in Ancient Greece. What happens when Serena & Darien meet but they have to keep their love a secret? And a hidden threat that no one can seem to beat? Hmm...Little love triangle. Well more like Crazy, psychological fixation from a new man...BUT CLOSE ENOUGH ;3
1. Prologue

**HELLO MY LOVELY READERS!**

**So yeah...prologue boring...BUT Serena and Darien fluff on its way, as well as some good mysteries and love triangles? well not really 'love' more like creepy, weird, abnormal fixation...ANYWHO enjoy, and review please and thank you! :)**

* * *

**Prologue**

"It was been a hundred years in peace, why now is this issue threating our path to the future?" Zeus interrogated, as he turned away from the window of his palace on Olympus that looked out at the cosmos and stared at the man in front of him. The god of time smiled slightly and looked back at Zeus.

"Time is a delicate thing; anything may change at a moment's notice." Zeus rolled his deep grey eyes and stared down at him.

"You know that is not what I mean. You know I am asking about this disturbance around that planet. We have gotten Hades to take away anyone's souls who have committed any treason and lock them in the deepest parts of Tartarus, we have strengthened our armies at every palace, and employed the best of the best. What is causing this power that is so great that it is even a threat to the higher gods?" Zeus sighed and sat behind the massive white marble desk and rubbed his face in his large hands.

The god of the Sky and Thunder was beginning to become more and more stressed with this threat that was fast approaching and for once he did not know how to approach it.

"From what I can tell Zeus we should try to strengthen our ties with Earth, they are the main target from what we can tell, and hope that if that density comes true, we must prepare to do anything we can to protect the immortal realm." Cronus stated, knowing very well that the legend may come true at any time.

"Call a meeting…" Zeus began, cut off short when he saw Cronus nod in response.

"I'll gather the royals." He sighed and shoved back the heavy chair that matched the desk and prepared to leave.

"Until next time." The god half smiled. Cronus stood and headed to the massive oak doors that lead out of the study and knocked. "This better work out…" He sighed and left when the guards on the outside opened up the door and let him through.

Zeus stood back up and headed towards the window once again; glancing out at the inky night sky that was dotted with brightly shining stars and planets. The god rubbed the back of his neck with his solid hand and hung his head down in stress.

"Things are about to change."

LITTLE SIDE NOTE:

So i am aware that things may not be historically accurate in certain areas, and i am sorry for anything that seems out of date. I will try my best to keep things in the right time period which is Ancient Greece :)


	2. Trust

Hello my lovely readers! Please be oh so kind and review this story? I shall love you forever and be eternally grateful and all the stuff... 3

* * *

Serena made her way along the now silent corridor; it seemed to shine with the fading sun's rays hitting the white marble walls around her. She glanced out the windows that over looked the lush lawns of the palace and the great ocean in the distance that reflected the rich colours of the setting sun.

She let out a sigh of happiness and began to smile; not even noticing as she finally reached the doors that lead to the court yard. The guards gave her a short bow in respect and opened the doors revealing the beautiful court yard that overflowed with flowers giving off many different scents, each one more wonderful than the next. She noticed her mother standing by the white rose bushes admiring them as she does so often when an opportunity presented itself.

The queen glanced up and noticed her daughter walking towards her with a grin; she closed the gap between them and pulled her into an embrace, breaking off a couple seconds later to smile at her daughter.

Serena looked into her mother's lush blue eyes with flecks of yellow that matched hers; they shimmered and changed colours with every blink, giving the illusion of Poseidon's great oceans; her soft brown hair matched the soil of the earth itself.

"You're home mama!" The princess smiled from cheek to cheek, finally seeing her mother after she was away on Olympus for another meeting.

The queen smiled at her daughter, leading her towards the fountain that dominated the yard.

"I could not miss my daughter's birthday could I? As well as I could not help but give you

something." The goddess and protector of earth, Queen Gaia beamed at her daughter.

She had watched her grow into a remarkable young woman; she was tall, with a strong mind to match her height. Though she knew her daughter could have a temper, and be rather rash, she saw her kind soul, a heart made of gold that was too delicate for just anyone to capture and love. She knew her daughter was strong, a fighter, a passionate young princess who would do anything for her people; she admired her daughter and how she has grown to be more mature, and has grown to understand her duties as a royal of the earth.

Serena looked at her mother and let out a sheepish grin.

"Mother my birthday is not for another day. I don't want anything, just some time to spend with you."

The queen's heart melted at her daughters words and wrapped her arms around her daughter again in a loving hug.

"I know I am not always around but I will always try to make time for you; my beautiful princess…" She sighed in contentment and placed a small, elegant golden locket in the shape and design of the earth with a diamond right in the centre, in her daughter's hands, passing down the ancient family heirloom.

Serena gasped in amazement at the tiny locket, and held it up to look at it in the fading sunlight. She turned around and moved her long blonde hair out of the way; giving her mother a knowing smile and handed it to the queen to put it around her neck. She turned back to face her mother; brushing her hands across the locket and blushed, looking down at her feet.

"I love you mama." The princess beamed at her mother; and wrapped her arms around her mother once again, embracing her.

Though they were considered immortals, she never felt like she had enough time with her mother. She was about to turned twenty and wasn't even expecting to see the queen for another week, let alone her birthday.

"My lovely daughter." The monarch let out a sad laugh, smoothing out her daughters wild blonde curls that bounced with every movement and touch.

The queen wished she could spend more time with her daughter but with this new threat moving in on the two realms she constantly had to leave for meetings and gatherings with other royals of the other planets and Olympus.

"I am sorry mother; I know you do your best." The princess wiped away her tears and glanced at her mother.

"Well daughter now that you are of age, Aphrodite and myself have been looking for suitors; that way when I am gone you will not be left alone."

Serena immediately straightened up and pulled away from her mother. Her mother knew she was never really alone; she had the royal advisers, Felix and Gae, and visiting royals that always seemed to be dropping in. Serena knew and accepted she was going to have to marry someone one day to secure the kingdom for another millennium, but she always pictured herself marrying the man she wanted, the man that she would love and that would love her. The thought of suitors arriving; asking to pursue her made her mentally cringe, knowing the chance of her finding the man she would want to spend her long life with would be hard if she didn't get to go search for herself.

"Oh, well…mother there is no rush, you know I always have Sage, and Gae is there a lot too…" She muttered looking back down at her shoes; trying to hide the discomfort on her face from her mother. Gaia smiled at her daughter; noticing her uneasiness of the subject.

Just as she was about to explain how it won't be as terrible as Serena thinks; they both turned their heads when they heard Felix, their tall silver haired male adviser, approach them; clutching a letter in his hand.

"Sorry for the interruption your majesties, but an urgent meeting has been called in Olympus." Felix huffed out; hinting that he had ran here from wherever he was. The princess glanced at her mother and gave her a knowing smile; but was glad Felix interrupted them, hopefully delaying the subject of marriage.

"We will discuss this later; ok my darling?" The queen sighed and hugged her daughter before she left the courtyard with Felix when he gave Serena a short bow and a smile; leaving her alone as the sun finally set on the palace, placing her in the now shadowy courtyard.

"I am assuming Ares has briefed you all on this 'threat'?" Zeus addressed the crowd in front of him.

All the Gods and Goddess's of the planets and the moon; Aphrodite of Venus, Hermes of Mercury, Ares of Mars, Serene of the Moon, Poseidon of Neptune, Cronus of Saturn, Hades of Pluto, and Gaia of Earth; nodded and stared back at the great god that stood in the middle of the circle of thrones that crowded the all-white board room on Mount Olympus.

"We do not have much to go on Zeus; do we know what is causing this presence?" Gaia questioned, raising a delicate eyebrow.

"We all remember Nalalia…" Zeus began; watching the reactions on everyone's faces when he mentioned the name of the former Goddess and continued on. "Since we have defeated her after her attempt to overthrow us and obtain Olympus for her own; Hades has locked her up in Tartarus were she still is, but Hades has believed that she is somehow communicating with someone on the outside and we cannot figure out how." He confessed, shaking his head at the idea.

"How is that possible?" Aphrodite gasped slightly in shock at the revelation.

"Like I said we are not sure, but Ares has talked to all the Commanders of the Royal armies and they have all raised security and you will all notice an increase in guards around the palaces." Zeus finished, taking his own seat and motioned Cronus to take the floor.

The god of time stood and took his position on the floor and walked towards Gaia.

"The main reason we called this meeting is to focus on Earth," Cronus gestured to Gaia as she gave a confused look. "From Ares report we have determined that the energy seems to be emitting closest to Earth; so the imperial army is going to step up a base on earth to protect your palace and planet." He stated, leaving a befuddled Gaia sitting in her seat.

The protector and monarch of Earth knew it was for the best of her planet but at the same time was not looking forward to having the army's presence on her planet. She was worried of what her subjects might think, not wanting to cause commotion amongst the mortals. Lost in her thoughts the Queen did not notice the new face in the room, which now stood in the centre of the room with Ares.

"My son Darien is going to be the head commander on the Earth base where he can keep a close eye on everything for me." The god or war introduced his son for the first time, leaving a stunned room.

A towering, broad shouldered young man stood in front of them all with hair as black as night, and striking blue eyes that held such confidence and passion. He stood tall and proud, clad in his commander uniform and royal red cape that flowed down his toned back that was attached on with a silver chain around his shoulders giving him the presence of authority and eagerness. Gaia was surprised at this young man's elegance and refined manner when he only seemed to be so young in comparison to the gods, and couldn't help but feel assured with his presence for some reason.

"Gaia I hope you do not mind the presence of the army to much, they should stay within the designated base and Darien will meet with you only when meetings are in order." Ares stated, nodding to his son, giving a cue to take over.

"I have talked to my soldiers as well as all higher commanding officers and ensured we will only partake in matters that are to deal with this threat." The young lad smiled up at the monarch of earth, making her smile in response.

"You have my trust young solider." Gaia praised him, getting up from her seat and shaking his hand; ending the meeting.


	3. Over Confidence

"Serena, you must wake up…SERENA!" Serena jerked awake, looking up to see her advisors grey eyes staring down at her. "Oh, keep your chiton on…" She mumbled, rolling over and pulling the silk sheets over her mess of blonde curls.

Gae walked to the end of the bed and yanked the sheets off and handed them to the maid who was waiting to wash them.

"Princess your mother is waiting in the dining room for breakfast with you, and a suitor is on his way to meet you!" The dark brown-haired women stated, giving up on the princess and walked over to the balcony doors; she opened them and let the late morning spring air fell the room.

The princess moaned and unwillingly got up and made her way to her bathroom were the tub was already filled with water. She removed her nightgown and slipped into the chilly water letting the cold take over for a second until she got used to it and let out a sigh. It has been a week since her mother went to Olympus for her meeting, and they had only seen each other twice, leaving no time for them to talk about suitors but apparently her mother and Aphrodite had been talking and they had a list of more than willing dignitaries from around other kingdoms looking to pursue her and she wanted no part in it.

She got out of the tub when she felt her nerves had settled enough, dried her long hair in a towel and slipped into her pale pink gown and headed out into her dressing room where Gae waited for her.

"Would you mind tying this up?" The young princess smiled at her advisor, turning around and handing Gae the gold braid that hung off her slim waist. Gae tied it up, and stared at the princess in front of her as Serena glanced in the long mirror. She wore her hair down its usual style with a thin gold band around her forehead that matched the braid on her dress giving her the look to match her goddess status.

"Serena I know you are not looking forward to these meetings, but you must understand that this is what you need to do to secure our kingdom and show everyone we have a strong monarch." The royal consultant murmured, fixing the young princess's hair and adjusting her dress making sure everything was perfect.

"I know." Serena sighed knowing it was pointless to say anything else.

The two left the princess's chambers and made their way down the marble hallways until they reached the great granite doors that lead into the dining hall, Gae pulled Serena to a stop and rested her hands on her shoulder.

"Be good." Gae warned in a stern tone, staring deep into her eyes.

Gae knew that when the princess did not like something she would detach herself from that situation. The princess gave her a reassuring smile and nodded in silence. Gae turned away to deal with her own priorities as the guard by the door opened them up revealing the Queen and a young man sitting around a long oval table that dominated the space. The queen and the young man rose from their seats and greeted the princess; Serena nodded at the handsome man in front of her as he bowed in respect.

"Serena I would like you to meet Prince Anatol of Enceladus; one of the moons of Saturn." The queen smiled at her daughter, but it disappeared when she noticed her daughter's strained smile plastered on her face.

"Pleasure to meet you, beautiful princess." The young prince kissed Serena's hand; and admired her beauty.

"The pleasure is all mine…" Serena forced between a smile, wanting nothing more to rip her hand out of his cold grip and go back to her chambers.

The three sat around the dining table just as the waiters brought in their breakfast of different fruits and berries.

"So tell us about yourself." The queen urged Anatol to speak when she noticed Serena was picking at her food, avoiding the princes stares as he admired her looks.

"Well I am the son of King Leos and Queen Jessa; they rule one of the moons of Saturn," he smiled at Serena trying to catch her eye, "and I am starting to get more involved in matters of the law throughout the immortal realm."

Serena looked up from her sliced fruit on the silver plate in front of her; she enjoyed learning about the matters of their realm, and started to feel like she might have judged Anatol to fast. Just because she disliked the idea of suitors, it didn't mean she couldn't find the right guy right? She had to admit he was handsome, tall with short, sandy blonde hair and deep burgundy eyes that almost matched the colour of Saturn themselves.

"What matters of law are you looking into?" She asked, raising an eyebrow; finally making eye contact with him.

The prince let out a victory smile; knowing he finally grabbed her attention.

"I am currently working with Hades," Prince Anatol raised his chest when he mentioned the high god's name, "We are figuring out what crimes deserve which punishments in Tartarus."

"And you're proud of that?" The princess nearly spat out her food.

"Serena!" The queen was shocked at her daughter's behavior, she knew Serena wasn't happy about these arrangements but she never thought she would be like this.

"It is ok your majesty, I did not fully explain myself." The prince tried to back track on what he said but was cut off by the princess.

"I don't believe there is any more to explain; you torture people. No one deserves the punishments they give down there." Serena cringed at the mental thought of the souls being tortured down below the surface of the earth. She stood up; throwing her napkin on her now empty plate, and prepared to leave.

"You must understand that this is just how things go…"

"I understand law, and people must do their time. What I do not understand is how you can talk so nonchalantly about something so savage." She huffed and met the bewildered eyes of the prince with her own.

She knew she just created a social blunder and tried to leave with some dignity intact.

"I bid you a good day." She said with no emotion and preceded out of room and continued to her chambers in the west wing were she slammed the door hoping no one was around to hear.

"You must forgive my daughter…"The queen began, shaking her head in shame at her daughter's actions.

"No, do not fret your highness, it was my own doing. I shall arrive again in a fortnight if that is not a bother? I feel that I shall come back to have a tête-à-tête with the princess to clear up any…misunderstandings. But until then I must attend to some duties down in Tartarus. Farewell my Queen." The young prince sighed, and gently pushed his chair away from the elegant dining table.

The queen knew the imperial army was arriving then, and things would be hectic but she was sure she could calm her daughter down by then to entertain him herself.

"Yes, that would be splendid. Until then." She smiled while the lad walked around and kissed her hand before swiftly leaving the room.

"That did not go as planned." She mumbled under her breath, slumping back in her seat when the servant left, letting her guard down for once.

Fourteen days past quickly; with little to say; the queen scarcely had time to talk to her daughter, and when she did her daughter quickly apologized, and said she would be kinder and pushed the issue back, claiming of having a headache. Gaia had yet to mention the Princes return to the earth's palace, and decided as they sat around the marble table, eating their breakfast to mention the fact.

"Darling today is going to be rather…frantic, and I need your assistance in a particular matter." The queen started out, thinking it was the safest way to lead into the subject.

"Yes mother, I know the Imperial Army is arriving, and I would be thrilled to aid you in any way." Serena smiled, showing her pearl white teeth to her mother, and handed off her now empty plate to the servant.

Gaia smiled, sensing her daughter was in high spirits today, and hoped that would continue when she told her the news.

Queen Gaia raised her teacup to her lips and took a sip. "Well I need you to accommodate Prince Anatol while I meet with the army…" She coolly spoke, taking another sip of tea, hiding most of her from her daughters now heavily guarded expression. Serena grumbled something incoherent to her mother and kept her eyes on the window that overlooked the ocean on the east side of the palace.

"Yes mother, I will escort him around the palace for the day." She sighed, never taking her eyes off the window until a faint knocking was heard at the door.

As if on cue Prince Anatol strolled into the room, clad in uniform as he had to wear one of a General down in Tartarus, and had a smile on his lips as he had heard what the princess had just said.

"Good morning princess, I was so hoping we could talk today about the last time we met." He beamed at her, making her weaver in her opinion of him. He truly was dashing, even though his occupation was rather cruel. She arose from her seat and placed her hand out, as Anatol eagerly took it in his own strong hand and lifted it up to his lips to kiss it.

"Morning Prince Anatol, if you would be so kind to join me in the garden?" the princess let out an uneasy smile, which the prince took as genuine and gladly placed her arm under his own.

"It would be my greatest pleasure!" Anatol smirked to himself, believing he had finally caught her full attention and ushered her out of the room before she could even say goodbye to her mother. Anatol was overwhelmed with joy that he was beginning to claim his prize he didn't mind the fact that he just created a political wrongdoing by not addressing the Queen as they left; but Gaia didn't seem to notice, she just smiled at the distraught face her daughter made, it almost made her laugh.

Princess Serena reluctantly followed her pursuer as they made their way through the rather large palace. The afternoon sun was starting to shine and warm up the chilly morning air, throwing lengthy shadows of the columns that lined the open aired corridors here and there, some covering the spacious courtyard. She took her time and gave him a tour of the gardens and told him the history of the palace and after what seemed like hours to the prince, he led Serena to a little bench where they both sat, and in Serena's distaste, to close for her comfort.

"Princess Serena I wish you to accept my apology for what transpired between us a couple of weeks ago. I was not meaning to make my employment sound so…cruel if that is the way you perceived it to be." He started, hoping to change her opinion on him. The prince knew what this would cost him if he could not win the affections of the royal family, especially the princess herself.

Serena fought with herself, she knew she overreacted with the whole situation, but again she couldn't shake off this feeling radiated from the person next to her.

"I believe it is I who should be making an apology. I am sorry I overdramatized the situation. I was just not looking forward to being forced to meet with suitors." She admitted, surprised at herself for saying it, but glad at the same time. Maybe this way he will decide to leave her?

The prince beamed at her words. He finally had his opportunity. He hid his smile, and made an effort to hide his joy.

"Oh, I understand. The tedious task of meeting numerous amounts of men; all of which drool over you, and claim you as a prize, not an individual." He stated, pretending to look away but he kept an eyebrow raised, watching her emotions as discretely as possible.

The princess was stunned that Prince Anatol seemed to understand her predicament, and she slowly began to relax, slumping down against the bench.

"Well I am glad you seem to understand this." She murmured quietly, letting out a little sigh that entranced the prince.

"I understand that you must feel like this is your duty, and I wish you not to think that around me, but to learn to enjoy my company because you want to like I enjoy yours." He whispered under his breath, turning his body to face Serena. She began to feverishly blush, and glanced down at her now white knuckles from her hands clutching her dress nervously. This was the closest she had ever been with a man before that wasn't a servant or Felix when she was younger.

Anatol began to laugh, startling Serena.

"How can you laugh at me?" She asked, rather hurt. He just said all these kind things to her, and now he…mocks her?

"No you misunderstand my actions princess! You are simply to adorable when you blush. Such an innocent flower." He mused over her reactions to him; it seemed to make him feel carefree.

"Then what does that make you?" She laughed in response, rather entranced by his laugh, and felt comfortable to poke fun at him.

"That my dear is something you do not need to know." He smirked, looking out into the garden, not really seeing what was in front of him.

The princess felt a sudden shift in the breezy courtyard and didn't think it was the wind. As she slid further down the bench, not realizing there was only an inch between them, Prince Anatol snapped out of his daze, getting frustrated that the princess was so indecisive with her emotions towards him.

"Thank you my goddess for spending the afternoon with me, but I must go attend to…things with Hades, I shall return in a few days if you so wish?" He asked, melting his burgundy eyes into her blue ones, making her lose her thought for just a second.

"Oh…um yes if you would like to join us for supper, I will ensure something is planned."

As he witnessed her blush yet again at his comment of her, he knew she would be easy to reel in as long as he complimented her. When he did so she got all shy and her true innocence displayed itself, and this would be his time to strike.

"Until then my divine." He smirked as he noticed her get caught in his gaze yet again as he bowed. She was about to say good bye when she snapped back into reality but was shocked when instead of kissing her hand, he leaned in, embraced her and kissed her once on each cheek. His scent was strong, maybe too strong, but manly. Her face went a crimson red, making her feel like a tomato, yet she felt strange in his embrace. She brushed it off and found herself surprised when she leaned into his hold on her. Prince Anatol chuckled lightly to himself as he sauntered away leaving a stunned Serena standing there, knowing he found the ticket to his prize.


	4. Engagement

**SOOOOOO, some _historical stuff_ you need to know if you don't already,**

**Men wore tunics (A DURR, but at the same time im like incorporating suits and classic general uniforms into this because they're gods and NO ONE QUESIONS THEM AND WHAT THEY WEAR! ;) )**

** They liked to eat fish and berries**

**Woman where usually engaged at 15 so Serena now being 20 was a rather surprising thing for her not to be married or engaged even though they technically are immortal.**

* * *

**_MY OWN LITTLE NOTE__S_**

**For the palace picture open aired corridors, and columns/pillars everywhere. (Old school, cliché Greek bulidings.)  
**

**ANYWHO! Please _review_ and don't hate me for any errors/ bad historical accuracy i am kinda creating my own world/time period...they're gods right? They can do what they want ;)**

**P.S The fluff is on its way, hopefully next to chapters i will get the ball rolling! I am stoked to see what i can do with Serena and Darien... WOOT**

* * *

The queen was on her way to her chambers when she was stopped by a figure in the touch lit corridor.

"Evening your highness." Felix bowed, taking a step away from the large, supporting column.

"Ah, Felix, just the man I wanted to see, tell me how was this…afternoon?" She questioned, looking at the silver haired man.

"Well things went rather well, she seems to be taking a liking to him." He replied, smoothing down his hair with his hand in a nervous way. He did not like the idea of spying on her young highness, but he knew the queen meant well.

"You know Felix you have been my advisor for quite some time now, since the dark times. I hope you know I trust you and I deeply appreciate you keeping an eye on my daughter." Gaia smiled as if she could read his mind. She herself had no time to even ask her daughter how her afternoon went, considering she was stuck dealing with the army until around midnight.

At the thought of the afternoon she remembered her talk with Ares son, and she couldn't help but feel assured by his presence.

"_I trust everything is in order so far?" the queen of earth questioned, raising an eyebrow at the young man in front of her._

"_Yes Queen Gaia, we have gotten our camp set up on the north side, by the forest, that way we have suitable ways of getting resources." He flashed his straight teeth at the queen. She felt assured in his presence._

"_Tell me young one, do you believe something might actually happen?" Gaia inquired, taking a seat in the study that would now be in full use of adolescent_ _Phrourarchos__._

_Darien felt taken back by this, but knew honestly would be the best option._

"_All I can say is I feel the same thing my father does, and I follow my gut ma'am." He stated, the queen beaming in response._

"_I can see I lay my loyalty to the right person." _

Gaia snapped out of her thoughts of the afternoon and stared at her consultant.

"I am off to bed; I shall see you in the morn." She said quietly, and continued down the hall after Felix and her exchanged bows.

Serena woke up with a startling gasp, jerking straight up out of bed, regaining her breath. It took her a second to realize she wasn't on the beach with Anatol, but in her sun drenched bedroom. She tossed the satin sheets off herself and rushed to the bathroom, spraying water on her forehead that was damp with sweat. What kind of dream was that? She hung her head over the sink, resting the cold cloth on her neck, remembering her dream if you could call it that.

_Her and Anatol stood close on the beach, him smirking down at her making her shiver. _

"_I knew I was going to make you mine." He chuckled to himself, causing her to shrink down. She did not like how close they were together; she didn't feel safe near him._

"_Please I would like to return to the palace." She whispered, looking longingly at the palace that seemed so far away._

"_You are mine, we do not need to return there." His face lost all expression of humor and grabbed her arm roughly making Serena cringe. _

"_Let go of me!" She yelled furiously, trying her best to pull her arm out of his cold, firm grip._

"_Why would I do something silly like that little girl?" His voice got husky, his hot breath on her cheek. _

"_Do not make me hurt you." She threatened, knowing she had some skills in fighting, but nothing like Anatol had and he knew that. _

_He let out a light laugh, again smiling so amused by her expression._

_ "My love, my powers are far greater then you believe…" he hissed, roughly grabbing her chin in his powerful hands and stared into her frightened eyes. Oh how he loved making her feel like this!_

The nightmare was still fresh in her mind; she just couldn't seem to shake it off. It was just a dream, but she had a hard time ridding of the vision of the malicious sneer he had on his face. It has been two days since she has seen Anatol and she had lopsided thoughts on the manner of seeing him again this evening now.

Gae entered the bathroom, making sure the princess was ok. She was shocked Serena's bed empty this early in the morning, and it scared the living hell out of her.

"There you are!" Serena nearly jumped a foot in the air, whipping her head around to see Gae standing at the entrance.

"You startled me!" She laughed it off and threw the damp cloth into the sink.

"Well you startled me! I thought you were kidnapped or something seeing's how you're out of bed before the afternoon." The black hair advisor chuckled and pulled Serena out of the room towards her closet completely unaware of the rigid posture Serena held.

"I will leave you to get ready then, and I will send in someone to deal with your sheets and other laundry." And with that she left the room, leaving a silent Serena to get dressed.

"Morning daughter." Gaia smiled as Serena entered the queens study now dressed in a olive green dress that flowed down to her feet.

"Mother." She acknowledged, ungracefully flinging herself into an open chair and let out a sigh. "How is everything with the army?" she asked, staring at her mother's figure that was bent over piles of paper.

"Well so far, they seem to behaving, but I need to meet with Ares so I will be leaving to go to the palace on Mars for a day or two, and I need you to do me a favour." Gaia glanced up from the documents in front of her and let out a shy smile.

"Oh, what is it?" Serena questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I will need you to check in with general and ensure everything is going smoothly. He has set up a meeting for tomorrow evening, but I will not be there to attend. Felix will be in attendance as well to assist you with anything, he himself was once a great commander." The queen let out a small smile at the memory. Felix has been with her for many years, neither aging nor changing when he was selected by Ares to join the elite army that consisted of many immortals that protected the palaces of the Gods and Goddesses. After Nalalia was defeated the army was in little use so Gaia decided to take in Felix as her adviser and now trusted friend.

"Yes mother whatever you need." Serena sighed. She had mixed emotions on the subject; on one hand she was glad her mother seemed to trust her with such important matters, but on the other hand she did not look forward to talking to some bloodthirsty Phrourarchos whose only interests were annihilating this threat.

"Good." Gaia closed the subject and picked up a few scrolls and documents that covered the large wooden desk in front of her and proceeded to the door. "I shall be back in a couple of days, please be good, and be kind to Anatol." And with that the queen left a grumbling princess who managed to get up and walk over to the window.

She stared longingly out the window at the ocean. She had always been drawn to the ocean, especially at night when the moon was full. It seemed to pull in into a trance and she could just sit there for hours staring up at the sky. Even though she has been to all the other palaces on the other planets she still found space fascinating while everyone around her seemed to dismiss it like it was no big deal and it irritated her.

Serena wandered out of the queen's study and made her way along open corridor towards the kitchen where she saw Gae talking to a servant. She hid behind a pillar and slinked her way along until she could hear what she was saying.

"Sorry Ma'am I was just getting things prepared for tonight for her young majesty and her suitor." The young lad apologized and moved out of the way for Gae.

"What exactly are you planning?" She inquired, taking a step towards the man. Gae could be extremely intimating when she chose to. Her 6'1 figure and strong, broad shoulders only hinted at what she could do. She could handle a sword and several other weapons with ease and many knew this. Serena was shocked when she noticed the servant barely reacted and just continued speaking.

"Prince Anatol has informed me to set a place in the garden for their dinner, and has asked that I keep the rest a secret." He merely stated shrugging his shoulders.

"Very well then." Gae mumbled, knowing she couldn't say much more but she did not feel any more at ease. She was exceptionally protecting when it came to the princess, she had watched her grow up, and been like her own daughter in a way. Gae turned on her heel and continued down the corridor before she rounded the corner. Before Serena moved out of the shadows another servant approached the man and gave him a questioning glare.

"That was close Nerio. You should be more careful." The new stranger whispered angrily, taking some of the plates that Nerio held.

"Not my fault that stupid advisor saw me. Blame _him_ for this Theron." Nerio hissed back and retreated towards one of the palaces many gardens with a fuming Theron behind him.

Serena did not know what to think of the pair, but decided that they both seemed to have anger management problems. She shrugged it off and continued down to the kitchens when the coast was clear.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on and by seven Serena was already dressed in her crimson silk dress. She enjoyed the way the dress reflected the torched hallways at night, giving the illusion of fire. Anatol had sent a messenger earlier in the afternoon to tell her to meet in him the south gardens, but she already knew this and laughed a bit when the older looking man told her the message. The man gave her a strange look but continued on his way, heading back towards the palaces gate. Serena admitted to herself she felt strange going to the dinner, knowing no one else would be there, but at the same time was actually kind of excited to see Anatol and that worried her. She adjusted her hair that was now fixed into a long braid that hung open with waves of curls that fanned over her small shoulders. She rounded the corner to the garden, fidgeting with her dress one last time and smiled when she saw a little table stationed in the small garden.

"Princess Serena," Anatol beamed when he saw her, snapping out of his daydream.

Anatol stood clad in a formal black tunic with gold trim. His sandy blonde hair contrasted with the dark colour of his outfit, making him look like a true god. Though Anatol was born into the immortal realm, he was only considered a bantam god. The higher gods and goddesses consisted of the protectors and rulers of the planets and Earth's moon, where the natural gods and goddesses where children born to two higher gods, which was the result of Serena. The bantam gods were those born of the natural gods and other beings in the immortal realm; Anatols father being born from Zeus and Hera, and his mother who was a commoner of his home Enceladus. Even though Serena was aware of his status she thought he had the look of a higher god. She began to blush and stared at the cobble stone ground.

"Good evening Anatol." She managed to spit out and took the seat Anatol pulled out for her.

He took his seat across from her around the small bistro table and poured Serena some wine which she eagerly took, hoping to rid of these jitters. She was annoyed that he seemed to have this control over her emotions and she knew she would have to do something about it and fast.

"You look beautiful as usual my goddess." Anatol offered his praise to her as a formality, though he could not deny she looked stunning in the fading sunlight that flooded the lawn. Serena remembered how he talked about suitors lining up, offering empty compliments to her and it bugged her that all he ever had to say about her was her beauty.

"Thank you…" She held a controlled smile and took another sip of her wine. She willingly dug into her food, hoping to end this night sooner rather than later. They held little conversation while they ate their fish and wild berries picked from the palaces orchid and it aggravated Anatol.

"Do you plan on ignoring me all night?" He questioned, sounding rather harsh.

"Oh." The princess was shocked that he asked her so coldly; she cringed at the flashback of her nightmare. "Anatol, you seem to be very pleasant and I truly appreciate this dinner you planned even though it was not your responsibility but I feel that I should tell you that I am not ready for marriage and other such things like my mother has come to believe." She stated confidently, and was proud of herself that she kept eye contact with him the whole time.

"Little late for that." He simply smirked, flabbergasting Serena. Anatol wanted to laugh at Serenas expression but kept his arrogant smile plastered on his face. "As you can see I have prepared this lovely evening for our engagement night. I have already conversed with your mother and she has given me her blessing." He sneered, leaning forward in his seat and resting his elbows on the table.

"My mother did what?" She stuttered, to stunned to say anything else.

"Yes, it seems she believes we are getting along amazingly and agrees that we should be engaged to show others that your kingdom will have a strong monarch later on in this oh so _difficult_ time." He droned on, flicking his hand dramatically, enjoying every emotion that fluttered across the princess's face.

"I am sorry, but I cannot." She tried to stay calm but on the inside she was screaming and throwing a tantrum of a five year old. How could her mother believe that this was the right man for her?

"Sorry my dear but you have no choice in the matter really, of course the queen said the wedding shall not take place for some time, but I am sure I can rearrange that." He gave her a wink that terrified her to the bone.

"I will see you are escorted out of this palace and I shall talk to you when my mother returns." She barely whispered, getting up from her seat and tossed her napkin on her now empty plate.

Serena tried to stay collected while she walked away but picked up her pace as soon as she was out of view of Anatol. How could he be such a low life! She knew he had his issues, but to be this… revolting it drove her mad. She headed out towards her bed chamber, and was thankful the corridors were empty of any servants, just the occasional guards. The sun had already set and torches were lit leaving an eerie glow to fill the palace. She heard footsteps behind her and rushed forward into the closest room, hoping that if it was Anatol that he did not see her come in here. She quickly cracked the large door open a bit to see down the hall but it was now empty. She closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a soft sigh.

"How could mother do this?" She hissed, letting the rage seep through her semi-calm façade.

"Can I help you? She heard a strong voice behind her, startling her half to death.

She let out a small screech and tried to get out the door but only managed to fumble with the handle instead.

Was Anatol in here too?


	5. Façade

**BONJOUR MY LOVES!**

**So you have all read the "REVIEW PLEASE" things on all stories so yeah REVIEW 3**

**and yeah I'm having fun making Serena freak out... WE SHALL SEE WHAT HAPPENS! AND WOOT DARIEN AND SERENA MEET! WOOT WOOT. **

* * *

"Anatol, if that is you, I will see that you are locked in the deepest part of Tartarus!" She threatened, giving up on the door and spinning around to face the person the voice came from.

"Pardon?" A tall young man stood in front of her clad in a Generals uniform; a look of amusement on his face as he saw the crazed look in Serena's eyes

"Oh." Serena exclaimed, knowing right away this must be where her mother placed the new Generals headquarters. She remained silent and straightened herself out and fixed her expression to one of a sane person. She took a good look at the man and was shocked of his appearance. She pictured some grey haired, pudgy man with a mustache and odd glasses but was staring at a tall, toned gentleman with the looks of Adonis and she was unsure of what to say. Could this actually be the General?

"I am assuming you are the General of the Imperial army." Serena blushed, realizing she just made herself look like a complete idiot.

"Yes, I am and you would be?" He questioned, making his own assessment of the young woman that stood in front of him. He had to admit she was beautiful, her long blonde hair and bright, vivid blue eyes that contrasted with his own dark ones. She was tall, but he still towered over her, and she had a certain aura around her he couldn't really explained but it intrigued him.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance I am Serena, princess of Earth, and future protector." she curtsied and smiled up at him, locking her gaze into his.

Darien nearly fell over when she mentioned her title. He was glad he had not mentioned his name yet, he knew he would have to be even more careful of what he said now.

"The pleasure is all mine, my name is Darien." He smiled, but it soon faded when he remembered his conversation with Queen Gaia and his parents after the big meeting on Olympus.

"_Darien, we must keep your status as a god a secret." Ares stated, giving his son a knowing look._

_ Darien glanced over at his mother who began to speak. _

_ "We need someone who we know we can trust that can find out if there are any moles in our system." Aphrodite let out a gentle smile at her son. Darien knew this was an order and gladly took it and stared at his parents. He was a natural god, both his parents being higher gods. He had inherited his mother's beauty, and his father's brain and strength and had many people who envied him. His parents were careful and hid him for most of his life from anyone but the higher gods but he had grown into a remarkable young man in their eyes and knew they could trust him._

_ "The only one that is to know of your status is myself and Gae and Felix, my two closest advisors. They are there for you as well to assist you in anyway." Gaia added, placing a hand on his shoulder and met his eyes._

_ "You have our entire trust young one." Gaia smiled, finishing the conversation._

Darien snapped back into reality and glanced down at the blonde beauty in front of her. He knew he had to be careful of what he said to her, so as not to reveal his true title. He wasn't even allowed to tell his own men in his army let alone the close commanders he had forged a bond with over the last few weeks of preparation.

"I am sorry for the bother, I was avoiding someone." She huffed, beginning to become angry again at the mere thought of Anatol.

"Well I was just preparing to leave when you barged in." he joked, angering Serena even more.

"I did not barge in, and I already apologized, it is not my fault my mother did not mention you were stationed in the west wing!" Serena stated, letting her anger for Anatol transfer onto Darien which she knew wasn't fair but couldn't resist.

"So you just go running into any room whenever?" he inquired, leaning towards her, enjoying her reactions.

"No, I certainly do not, but this is my home and I have the right so!"

"You're so right my _princess_." Darien smirked, exaggerating the word princess, angering Serena even more.

"Well if you excuse me _General_ I must continue to my chambers for the evening." She sneered back at Darien who remained calm except for the small grin that he couldn't hold back. Serena heaved open the heavy door and sped walk down the corridor until she reached her chambers. Darien let out small chuckle when she left, leaving him thoroughly amused. He felt bad for upsetting her but the way her emotions shot up and down like that made him laugh.

Serena reached her chambers and slammed the door, telling one of her maids she did not need nor want anyone in her room until tomorrow morning when she calmed down. How infuriating that man was! Serena couldn't help but let out a frustrated scream into her pillow when she dove onto her bed and lay completely still. She knew she had embarrassed herself yet again, but it didn't seem to matter to her; she had bigger issues to worry about. The fact that she was technically engaged to a deranged psychopath was enough to make her want to run out of the palace screaming like a mad man and head for the water but she knew she had to face this issue as maturely as she could, otherwise her mother would never listen to her. Anatol seemed to already have her mother wrapped around his finger and it errked her; when did he even have time to talk to her mother? Her mother barely had time to see her, let alone Anatol. Serena grumbled and twisted around until she fell into a restless sleep, not even bothering to change out of her dress.

Serena managed to keep everyone out of her chambers until noon when she dragged herself out of bed. She took her morning bath and quickly changed before any maids could come in so they would not know she slept in the dress. She soon realized that she would not have to deal with Anatol but would have to deal with the General tonight. She praised Zeus that Felix was going to be there and hopefully he would have the decency to pretend like it didn't happen, at least in front of Felix.

She let the maids in to take her laundry and sheets, and proceeded out of her chambers and towards her mother's empty study.

Her white satin dress swung with the breeze the door created. After ensuring she was alone Serena pushed a small bookcase out of the way to reveal a hidden door. With once last glance she tugged the door open, and with some force the discarded door opened, creaking loudly in protest of not being used in quite some time. Serena made her way along the twisting staircase until she reached the top of the little turret.

"Ahh." Serena let out a sigh and stepped out onto the little hidden balcony that was starting to become overgrown with ivy.

She had always came here with her mother when she was young, somewhere they could be together without having to worry about servants and such. It stood overlooking the far out ocean making her instantly calm down. She could always relax here and be her klutzy, goofy self and she loved it, not having to worry about keeping up an appearance of perfection like her subjects seemed to believe she was.

Serena settled herself on the stone bench and gazed out at the sparkling sea, silently thanking Poseidon for bringing the gift of water to Earth, she didn't know what she would do without it.

Reality came crashing back down on her when the image of Anatol popped into her head. She saw the strategy he was playing with and couldn't decide if she should play along with it or not. She could try freaking out and telling anyone who would listen how he was a greedy lunatic with a hidden agenda, or she could beat him at his own game. She would have to keep up with this silly façade that she wanted him until she could figure out why he would go through all this trouble just to marry her. Surely it wasn't because of love. Was it greed? Power? She couldn't decide and believed that it didn't really matter anyway. He was up to something and she was now determined to find out.

She stayed hidden up in her little tower, only coming down when the sun began to sink lower in the sky, signalling that Helios was at work. The princess snuck out of her hideaway and slinked down the hall and headed towards the south end to the informal dining room. Gae was already there, standing over by the large window with a look of concern plastered on her face.

"There you are!" She spun around and marched over to Serena who gave out a sheepish grin.

"I went for a walk." She lied, and looked down from the glare Gae was giving her.

"You know you are not allowed to leave the palace grounds without an escort." She muttered, tossing her hands in the air and giving up. They both took their seats around the small table as the waiters came around and served them dinner of assorted cheese and fish, making little conversation.

"How was your dinner with Anatol?" Gae questioned; studying the princess's reaction.

Serena took a big gulp of the sweet wine that was placed in front of her and leveled her expression.

"He has asked for my hand in marriage and I accepted." She merely shrugged, almost sending Gae flying out of her chair. Gae choked a bit on her food and stared with crazed eyes at the blank look on Serena's face.

"And you are…ok with this." She stuttered out.

"Yes, though the wedding will not take place for quite some time. Anatol informed me he had already talked to my mother about this and she has given us her blessing." Serena stated as if this was old news.

Gae was too dumbfounded to talk and just sat there, staring at her food having lost her appetite.

Serena finished her dinner and prepared to leave, trying not to laugh at her advisors face.

"Everything will be fine." She promised her, not believing it herself and preceded out of the room. She headed down the hall and tried to hide her grimace as she headed towards the same room she 'barged' into last night and knew she was going to have to keep this façade of confidence going a little longer.

* * *

**So i kinda took the idea from the anime of them bugging each other at first so do not fret my beautiful strangers, they do not hate eachother...yet...or will they ever...IDK I HAVEN'T THOUGHT THAT FAR ;)**

**Love y'all, REVIEW AND CRAP :) **


	6. Embrace

**Sooo things are getting kind of confusing and i am fearing that i haven't written this well enough... SO any questions feel free to ask me about anything :)**

**By the way i guess there's some fluff in this chapter ;)**

* * *

"General." Serena acknowledged Darien with a blank expression when she entered his study. She noticed papers shuffled everywhere, maps of the cosmos pinned along the walls with scribbles here and there indicating important things and some discarded books that looked as if they were just tossed on the floor. Serena saw she was the first to arrive and grumbled at the realization.

"Hiding from anyone today?" Darien joked hiding his embarrassment of the mess. He strolled back over behind the mahogany desk and attempted to tidy up, trying to be as nonchalant as he could.

"Very funny." She faked laughed, glaring at him with crossed arms. "I am only here because my mother is away at a meeting with Ares." She mumbled, looking down and nudging an open book with her foot. Darien's head snapped up at the mention of his father's name, but quickly looked back down; glad Serena wasn't paying attention to him.

"So who is the lucky person you were running away from?" he questioned, deciding poking fun at her was the best way to even talk to her.

Serena unfolded her arms, letting them swing down to her side, her hands now in tight fists.

"That is none of your business!" She growled at him, flat lining him with her expression.

She had yet another headache and was even more annoyed than usual. She had these aches and pains lately and liked to believe that it was just stress causing it; but knew it might be something else.

When she was little she had many headaches and her mother tried to explain to her that since she was in tune with the Earth, she could sense the pain the earth felt when things happened. She hadn't had headaches like this since she was eight and it always took a toll on her.

"Are you always this infuriating?" Serena mumbled, rubbing her temples in the least obvious way.

"Depends, do you always act this way?" He smiled again, poking fun at her.

"No not really, I haven't been feeling well." She found herself saying and was shocked that she said that. She never let anyone know of any discomfort she had and she felt so…vulnerable telling him about her health. She sat down in the open chair that was positioned in front of the desk and took a deep breath.

Darien thought she had lost it. She went from being livid to calm in a nanosecond. He found himself worried about her and was glad she sat down; she did look pale to him. "Maybe you're going crazy." He joked, with a look of concern on his face.

Serena stopped and looked up long enough to lock her gaze with Darien's making her blush and quickly regain composure. It was abnormal for her to let her guard down like that in front of anyone but her mother and advisors, yet it felt natural with Darien which scared the living Tartarus out of her.

Before she could say anything a light knock was heard at the door and Felix entered, joined by a couple of high ranking officers clad in uniform.

"Ah, Princess Serena you are already here." The silver haired man smiled down at Serena who rose out of her seat and put on her calm façade once again.

"Yes, I was just discussing with the general on what his plans were for local security checks, right General?" She lied smoothly using his rank instead of his name. She was thankful she had the ability of persuasion on her side.

Darien nodded and met the eyes of his two closest friends in the army. "Yes, but we haven't gone into details yet. First off though, I would like to introduce the Princess to my closest commanders, Briareus and Leocadio." He gestured towards the two men, Briareus with flaming red hair and a goofy smile plastered on his face, and Leocadio with dark brown and a more conservative look on his. The contrast between them seemed apparent to Serena.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance; your Highness." Briareus smiled and bowed, followed by Leocadio. "You can call me Bri, and my brother, Leo." Bri smiled and gestured towards his brother.

Serena kept a calm smile on her face but the shock in her eyes displayed itself. She couldn't believe they were brothers; they looked and seemed so different from one another.

Darien saw the princess trying to hide her surprise and stifled a laugh. "Well shall we begin?" He asked, motioning to the desk that had a large map now covering it.

Everyone gathered around as Serena tried to make sense of the scribbles on it but gave up and waited for Dairen to explain.

"Well so far we have set up routine security checks at our four major points." The general pointed at the map which was marked with strings that displayed the four sectors.

"And has anything been found from these checks yet?" Felix asked, speaking up, taking real interest in the matters. Serena was aware that Felix was once in the army, but was surprised that he seemed to hold such a passion for this.

"The only thing we have so far is in the north division. There seems to be some…disturbance in the vegetation there and we aren't sure why." Leo muttered, focusing on the map in front of him.

Serena stiffened, and stared hard at the map in front of her. If these headaches had anything to do with the Earth she would have known about it, or her mother would have right? She closed her eyes just for a second but found she couldn't open them again making her panic. She gripped the desk as images began to flash through her mind of the forest and the ocean, everything dead and decaying around her. No sunlight found its way through the dark skies, just black clouds that casted a daunting atmosphere over the ruined landscape. She began to feel hopeless, lonely and despair yet she felt the presence of people around her.

"Princess?" Felix worried, looking down at Serena who was now clenching the desk with such force her knuckles were pure white.

Serena got locked inside her own mind and couldn't seem to break out of it. The images began to blur together, speeding up and soon other images of a hooded figure appeared and an evil laugh filled her head.

"Make it stop!" She yelled; hands holding her head, not realizing she was actually saying this out loud. The laughter became louder and the images flew by, making Serena dizzy.

"Serena!" Darien yelled at her, gently grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. He was the closest to her, and watched terrified, not knowing what to do. Felix ran out of the room to go find the palaces doctor, Bri and Leo moving the chair closer to her. Darien sat her down and took her hands into his own. Serena's eyes were still shut tightly, fighting the voice in her mind.

"There's nothing you can do…" the voice hissed in her head.

"What do you mean?" She asked frantically, trying to understand the voice.

"It is too late." It let out another wicked laugh and faded away, Serena finally regaining consciousness.

Her eyes flicked open and found herself looking into dark blue ones that were filled with concern.

"Serena!" Darien breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she had come back to reality.

Serena stayed sitting in the chair, too scared to even say anything, she just kept staring into Darien's eyes, not really seeing him. She began to shake, but remained silent, refusing to let any tears fall from her eyes. She felt his hands holding hers and she gripped them, holding onto them like they would disappear at any time.

"Dar-Darien?" She stuttered out, clutching his hands as tight as she could. She didn't know if she was really here or if this was an elaborate image created by that…thing that somehow invaded her mind. She felt so violated, having her mind controlled by someone.

Darien squeezed her hands in a reassuring way, and tried to calm her down. "What is wrong?"

"Someone…something is doing this to Earth." She whispered, Darien, Leo, and Bri barely being able to hear her.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, taking a step closer to her, making Darien react.

"Do not push her." He warned with a serious glare that startled Leo. He began to backtrack away from them and stood by the window with his brother. Felix rushed back in the room, followed by the doctor who was dressed in his night robes already.

"What happened?" He asked, crouching down next to the princess, pushing Darien to the side. Serena's eyes widened when she felt his hands leave hers, and she quickly pulled them back towards her, refusing to let go. She knew he was real and she would not let them go until she knew she was safe. Darien hid a smile when Serena tightened her grip on his hands. He shuffled out of the way for the doctor, but stayed by her side as she was examined. Leo and Bri excused themselves and quickly retreated from the room, heading back to their base; while Felix hovered over the doctor, scrutinizing his every move.

The doctor checked her eyes and tested her reflexes and decided that all she needed was some sleep. "Just go to bed and relax. No more of these meetings until these headaches go away." The man instructed and left the room to return to bed himself.

"Serena, what did you mean someone is doing this?" Darien asked in a soft voice, crouching back down in front of her. She took her hands out of his and sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"I'm such a bother." She huffed but continued when she noticed Felix and Darien both staring intently at her. "Well, _something _is causing the devastation in the north division and this is their plan. They had some kind of cloak on, I couldn't see their face if it even had one." She shuddered at the thought. The creature seemed to be emanating this feeling of dread and it petrified her, how could something be so…evil?

"You saw…this?" He asked, baffled.

"Her mother and her can sense things that happen to the Earth." Felix mumbled, not really paying attention to a confused Darien. He was too preoccupied, trying to figure out what this means, and who would have the power to get into the Princesses mind, but be undetected by the Queen.

"Yes, that is true, and this thing is using that to its advantage." Serena spoke, standing up from her chair. She wobbled a bit but regained her balance and started heading to the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" Darien trailed after her, watching her every step, thinking she might fall over.

"To bed, there is nothing we can do tonight. Whatever this thing is, it is hiding its tracks well. We can talk about this tomorrow, but right now my head is pounding and I would like to rest." She spoke quietly, too tired to speak any louder.

"Yes, she is right. I will set up a meeting for tomorrow afternoon when the Queen is back so we can inform her of this. For now, the princess should rest." The advisor followed the two towards the door and checked the princess over again. "Are you sure you're all right? I can accompany you back to your chambers." Felix offered, worried that she might just pass out right in the corridor.

"No, I shall be fine, but I do need to discuss things with the General, if he would be so kind as if to walk with me." She asked, glancing up at Darien who nodded in response.

"Yes Ma'am."

Felix bowed and said his goodbyes, eyeing them suspiciously as he walked away. Gae had already informed him of her engagement to Anatol, and as weird as that sounded, he believed that the Princesses feelings were true for Anatol and did not want anyone stepping in the way of that, especially a god, which he knew Darien really was. Gae had also informed him that the Princess wished to keep this a secret until things became more finalized, leaving his hands tied in the situation.

The two young gods made their way down the hall towards the princesses' chambers; Serena thinking over what she was going to say.

"Thank you." She stopped and turned to face Darien, and let a small smile cross her lips. "For not pushing me."

Darien was pulled back a bit by this and let out an uneasy laugh, sliding a hand through his black hair nervously. "Well you scared me half to death, I swore I saw Hades." He joked, but smiled back down at her.

"Very funny." She mumbled with a smile and rolled her eyes, starting to walk again towards her chambers.

Darien picked up his pace and caught up with her. "You are sure you're ok Serena?" He asked, catching her gaze, making her melt into them a bit. She loved it when he just called her by her first name, not formalities or baby names to make her like him. She was just Serena.

"Yes, I am sure. A little rest will do me some good; I am just a bit spooked." She laughed nervously and stared straight ahead until they finally reached the outside of her chambers.

"You have nothing to fear, we are here to protect the kingdom and everyone in it, and that mines you." Darien spoke softly, instantly calming Serena.

"Thank you." She curtsied but became dizzy and started to lose her balance.

Darien reached out and caught her, clinging on to her to ensure she didn't fall again. He held her close, becoming intoxicated by her scent that filled his nose, forgetting about everything else. It felt so natural to him and Serena refused to admit that to herself. She cleared her throat and pulled away from him; face as red as a tomato. Serena didn't say anything but made a goofy grin and headed into her room, closing the door.

Darien stood outside of the door, still feeling her presence in his arms. He let them drop to his side and shook his head. What was he thinking? He was here to protect Earth, not to be with the Earths protector. The general slowly walked away; starting back towards the army's base on the outskirts of the palaces property.

Darien heard a rustling coming from around the corner but ignored it, blaming it on his imagination and proceeded out of the palace.

"Anatol isn't going to be happy about this." Theron whispered to Nerio, shoving him aside and stepping out of the shadows, still clad in his servant uniform.

"He put you in charge of spying on her so you can tell him." Nerio grumbled, hating the outfit he had to wear. What was the point of this Façade.

"Shh, you moron." Theron smacked Nerio and hurried down the hall in the opposite direction Darien went.

"If everything goes to plan we won't have to hide like this."

* * *

**A hug...a HUG...HM i gotta get on writing fluff... SOON MY PRETTIES**

**Ciao Belle ;D**


	7. Always

**A/N: I am super sorry if there are any errors in this, it is currently 2:12am and i am very tired after a long day at work BUT you guys are worth it ;) Plus i finally wrote some DarienxSerena stuff so ENJOY **

**So if you see anything wrong, just let me know and i will gladly fix it! **

**Ciao & Enjoy **

* * *

Serena made her way down the hall towards her mother's study as soon as she heard she had arrived home from Mars. She was dressed in a simple lavender dress, to exhausted from last night to even attempt to dress up. The bags under her eyes betrayed her effort to hide her sleepiness. Serena had ensured she would have enough time to talk to her mother about Anatol before their meeting later with Darien and Felix and wasn't sure the best way to approach the situation. She planned on going along with Anatol's plan but he would be sorry the day he decided to cross her path and play her as a chess pawn. When she reached the door she sucked in a deep breath and exhaled before she pushed open the heavy doors to see her mother sitting behind her desk.

"Mother." Serena greeted, genuinely happy to see her mother.

Gaia looked up from her paperwork and smiled at her daughter who now took a seat in front of her.

"I would like to talk to you about this marriage." Serena started, keeping a poker face on and watched her mother's reactions.

"Oh yes, well Gae informed me you are keeping it quiet for now. Do not fret my darling, just because you are engaged does not mean you have to get married in a week. You have time to get used to the situation before anything to drastic happens." The queen smiled down at her daughter. Gaia's own situation of marriage was not one of love but of duty, the only thing she thought positive that came from it was her daughter.

"Well I would like to ensure Anatol is right for the kingdom, as well as me. So I suggest he moves into the castle, separate chambers of course, so we can meet more often." Serena suggested, hiding her eyes from her mother's questioning look. Serena knew if she could keep Anatol in the palace as long as possible, the more she could figure out what he was up too.

"That is very…mature of you Serena, I am proud." Gaia beamed at her daughter but remained cautious.

"Well with everything happening I would like to face everything head on." She bit her lip and remembered last night, the images, and that laugh…the laugh that haunted her in her dreams last night.

"Good, I must go attend to some matters with Gae, I will see you in a bit." Gaia stated and stood up to leave. "I hope you are ok darling, Felix told me what happened last night. I do not know how this person is doing this but I believe since I was away from Earth I couldn't sense anything. We shall discuss this more later but for now please take it easy." She said gently, smoothing down Serena's long blond hair with her hand. Serena nodded and leaned into her mother's hand, missing this interaction between them.

"I shall see you this afternoon." Serena finalized and left the quarters with her mother and headed back to her chambers for a rest.

Serena was woken up from her nap by a knock at the door. She headed to the door, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and shaking her head.

"Moving in?" Anatol stared down at Serena, eyes burning but a cocky smile plastered on his face.

"So we can get to know each other better honey." She sneered, her bad attitude and head ache returning.

"What are you up to?" He questioned, taking a step into her room before she could close the door on him.

"I could ask you the same thing." Serena stood her ground and leveled her eyes. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her scared.

"Well my love if we are to be married then should I not be allowed to show my affections?" He cooed, closing the distance between them. They were only an inch away from each other and Serena could feel his hot breath on her cheek. She cringed away, trying to hide from his intense gaze.

"You are so naïve." He laughed and turned on his heel. "I shall see that an engagement party is planned so _everyone_ can see how in _love _we are." He hollered over his shoulder and sauntered out of the room.

"I will figure you out." She muttered and returned back into her room of the entry way of her chambers and dove back onto her bed, burying her pounding head in the pillows.

Serena was sitting in the Generals study, slowly getting bored of the situation. They had already determined that there was nothing they could do right now. This thing had covered its tracks up well and all they could do is wait until something physically came and did something.

"Well for now, ensure that you have extra perimeter checks in the north division." Gaia instructed Darien, rising from her own seat.

Felix joined her as they headed towards the door, Darien giving his regards to them both.

"I will see you tonight dear." Gaia smiled at her daughter and left with Felix who was suspicious of the two, noticing Serena hadn't even attempted to move yet.

"How are you feeling today?" Darien asked, getting to talk to her alone for the first time all day. He tried to push the thought of them hugging in the back of his mind but every time she locked her eyes into his he couldn't help but think about it, and how he wanted to do that again.

"Well, thank you." She mumbled, not really looking up at him. She had been in a bad mood since she saw Anatol this morning and wasn't sure what to do with this wedding. She knew it seemed trivial to being worrying over Anatol like this when something was so obviously more important but she couldn't stop thinking about him.

"I am sorry for last night." He apologized awkwardly, but kept his gaze on Serena who finally looked up at him.

"Oh, no do not worry about that. I was not trying to be rude; I am just preoccupied the thoughts of someone who is being rather…difficult." She sighed, leaning her head over the back of the chair, fully letting her guard down. She didn't seem to care anymore around Darien and she wasn't sure if she enjoyed it or was freaked out that she didn't care.

Darien visibly relaxed, glad that she didn't seem to dislike him. "Is this the same man you were hiding from?" He teased but kept a serious voice.

"Yes."

Darien walked over from behind his desk and crouched in front of Serena, only centimetres between the two.

"Wha..what are you doing?" Serena blurted out, bewildered at his actions.

"Checking if you are really ok, you haven't gone crazy once today." Darien reached out and touched her forehead with the back of his hand, making Serena squirm away and let out a light laugh.

"Are you sure you are not the mad one here?" Serena teased back, pulling his hand away from her forehead.

"Now you are normal." He smiled back at a now blushing Serena.

She looked down at her hands and saw she was still holding his hand in hers. She quickly dropped it and tried to get up but Darien was still there staring down at her.

"I have always been _normal_." She replied, hiding her expression, her blush deepening.

"You are truly ok?" He asked again, staring deep into her eyes, trying to find the answer to his hidden question. What was she hiding behind those guarded eyes?

Serena contemplated the question in her head and started to fidget in her seat.

"No…"She cried, and launched herself into his arms, almost sending them both to the floor. She wasn't sure what she was doing but she knew she needed someone that could just hold her, even if it was just for a little while.

"Serena…" Darien whispered, returning her embrace and tucking her head under his chin. She let a tear roll down her red cheeks, forgetting about her appearance, about social protocol, about everything and just enjoyed the feeling of complete safeness in his arms.

She sheepishly looked up into his dark blue eyes and let out a sad laugh, hiding her face back into his chest when he just looked at her with questioning eyes.

"What is this about?" Darien chuckled mostly to himself in disbelief, but waited for Serena to answer.

"I'm engaged." She blurted out, refusing to meet his eyes as she felt him instantly straighten up and release his hold on her. "No! You do not understand." She frantically seized onto his jacket, pulling him back towards her.

"I understand you are planning on getting married, and are currently clinging onto me." He said coldly, making Serena cringe and let go of him, but she refused to let more than a couple of inches between them.

"Things are more complicated than that…" She looked at Darien but he just stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "This man, Anatol has my mother wrapped around his finger, and the only way I can see what his true intentions are for pursuing me is to go along with this façade and see if I can expose him for the rat he really is." She finished finally meeting Darien's eyes that were trying to hold back his laugher.

"There is the Serena I know!" He nearly doubled over laughing, resting a hand on the desk to support the weight of his shaking body. "You are mad aren't you?" He laughed at his rhetorical question but regained some control when he noticed Serena's fuming expression.

"I am not _mad_ nor am I going to be. I have every belief this man is not marrying me out of love but out of sick, twisted desire for something I have yet to figure out. This is the only way I can do anything; otherwise my mother will force me to marry him anyway. I do not love this man; I cannot even stand being in the same room as him." She began to shake, trying to hold back the sob that wanted to engulf her, the stress of everything finally getting to her. "You do not seem to understand that I am stuck with this _duty_ of marrying someone for the kingdom, not out of love. This man is not the one for the kingdom…or me." She added, finally letting the sob take over her. She fell back into Darien's now more than willing open arms.

Darien understood the duties of a Royal all too well, but he knew he couldn't mention this to Serena.

"Is there no other way?" He asked when she calmed down a bit.

"None that I can see." She mumbled almost incoherently into his chest, hiding away from the thoughts of marrying Anatol.

"I will help you in anyway." He smiled down at her, pulling her chin up with his finger so he could look her in the eyes. "I am here, and willing to help you if you believe this."

Serena didn't know what to say, she just stood there baffled.

"You wish to help me?" She asked, eyes searching his.

"Yes."

"Then be there, be there for me." She smiled and reached up and cupped his face with her hand.

He leaned down and took her lips with his own, enjoying every second of it. Serena eagerly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, tightening their embrace.

They broke apart and just stayed there, Darien burying his face in Serena's long blond hair, smiling like a soul that just escaped from Hades clutches.

He murmured softly into her ear making her blush and strengthen her hold on him.

"Always."

* * *

**OH BABY! well...i suck at writing romantic scenes, next one will be better. My only fear is i don't want them to be like "Hey I just met you two days ago, and this is crazy but I LOVE YOU FOR ETERNITY NEVER LEAVE ME." kinda thing... (See what i did with "Call Me Maybe" thing. ahh? ahh?") Well i am rambling and now it is 2:15am so i go to sleep. **

**CIAO BELLE **


	8. Forbidden Romance

**A/N: Hey guys sorry for the late post, i have had some writers block, plus i have been working everyday and seeing friends so haven't done much writing... Ok so this chapter is REALLY short and i feel bad so next chapter i will make like 3 times longer, and will hopefully have it written in the next two days. SOO sorry again for any waits :) Review and stuff and ill love you :***

* * *

Darien reluctantly let go of his hold on Serena when he noticed the sun getting lower in the sky, Helios already at work.

"Forbidden romance?" He chuckled, stroking Serena's hair, making her blush yet again.

"How did things get so complicated…" She sighed trying to lean back into his arms but he held her away from him.

"I do not know Serena, but we will figure them out. For now you must be going, you have supper soon." He ushered her towards the door, knowing if she stayed there any longer he would not let her leave for quite some time.

"But…" She began to say, but was silenced by Darien's lips.

He could feel her smiled against his lips and he unwilling pulled away and stood tall.

"No buts. I am sure that...man is coming for dinner, you must go." He muttered, frowning at the mention of Anatol.

Serena grumbled at the realization that Darien was probably right.

"Did I mention he is going to be living here?" She nearly whispered, looking away towards the door, feeling the change in the atmosphere from Darien as soon as she said that.

"No…you didn't." He sighed, collecting her back into his arms, Serena unsure of what to do.

"We are going to figure this out." He murmured, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"Yes we are." She beamed at him, letting a goofy smile cross his face, making Darien smile in return. Oh how he loved that smile.

"Now go." He whispered; giving her once last kiss before he nearly shoved her out the door.

"Darling, you are late." Queen Gaia poked fun at her daughter, who tried to be as nonchalant as she could be as she snuck into the dining hall. Gaia dominated the head of the table while Serena and to her dismay Anatol, sat on one side, Felix and Gae on the other, silently whispering to each other.

"Sorry mother, I stayed behind and was talking to the General and lost track of time." She apologized and folded her napkin onto her lap, avoiding the intense gaze Anatol had on her.

"Well you are here now. Anatol was just explaining his plans for the engagement party." Gaia gestured towards Anatol who was now wiping his mouth with his napkin, preparing to speak.

"Well my love," He smiles at Serena, who tries not to cringe at him calling her that. "Has invited me to stay here, which I gladly accept, but I will not be around as much as she may wish. Hades has me working quite a lot and I have been very busy with this threat and all."

"How do you know about that?" Felix narrowed his eyes at Anatol, finding that it suspicious that he knew of this, when not many outside of the higher gods circle knew.

"I am work closely with Hades when it comes to matters like this." He said a little too fast, making it sound rehearsed in Serena's mind, but everyone else seemed to buy it.

"Well _honey_, I am sure we can plan around that for the engagement party, I do believe it shouldn't be held until the new moon." Serena suggested taking a sip from her wine. She knew that if they waited until the new moon she had at least twenty-eight days to try and figure out something before this was made public.

"Why so far?" Her mother was curious to why she would insist on having the date so far off.

"I believe next week would be a splendid time for a party." Anatol chimed in, trying to push the date up as far as he could.

Serena knew her hands were tied at this point and couldn't do much without blowing her cover.

"Well I was just thinking that we could make it…symbolic… a new moon, a new start?" She rambled on, trying to make anything sound realistic to them.

Her mother gave her a smile, taking her mumbles as a sign of nerves and nodded in agreement.

"Ok dear, now we have more time to plan." Gaia patted her daughters hand and stood up from the table. "Now if you all will excuse me." She smiled and parted the room when the guards opened the door.

"Princess would you like to take a walk with me through the courtyard?" Anatol asked Serena, and with Felix and Gae still sitting there she couldn't say no.

"Yes of course." She sighed, rolling her eyes at him as she took his hand, hoping her two advisors did not see it.

The two young royals left the room, leaving Gae and Felix sitting in silence.

"Do you think this weird?" Felix whispered to Gae, eyeing the nosy servant who Gae recognized was the man from a couple of nights ago.

"So you noticed too?" She murmured back, focusing her eyes on her empty plate.

"What do we do?" He asked Gae, getting lost in his own thoughts.

"Nothing."

* * *

**I know it's short! SORRY! next chapter i promise will be long! :***

**Review please and Thanks!**

**Ciao Belles :3**


	9. Detached

**A/N: Soooooo i have been super busy with work so this was all i could write SORRY! it was either write this much or wait like another 15 hours for like 500 more words...SO there yea go! haha enjoy and review and stuff... btw sorry if there is any mistakes; it is currently 1:27am as i am writing this and i need SLEEP! Night lovelys!**

* * *

"So you were talking with the General?" Anatol asked, trying to control his emotions as they walked by a couple of guards.

"Yes, I am working with him to protect this kingdom, so of course I was talking to him." She rolled her eyes and tried stepping away from them as they walked but he kept his arm wrapped around hers tight.

"I see." He muttered, getting lost in his own thoughts. Serena gave up on struggling away from him and just kept walking; looking out on the palaces lawns, admiring the way the fading sun sent shadows dancing across the yard.

"Why do you insist on marrying me?" Serena asked mostly to herself, touching her lips with her fingers, remembering her kiss with Darien earlier.

"That you will find out when I want you to know." He let out a cocky smile and pulled a dazed Serena to a stop, snapping her out of it instantly.

"Whatever you say, love." Serena hissed, yanking her arm free from his.

"My, my, aren't we feisty tonight?" He chuckled and pulled her back into him, making her turn solid and cringe away from his cold touch. "You are aware we are engaged and haven't kissed yet?"

"No way Anat-" She tried to push him away but his finger was at her lips, their faces only centimetres apart.

"You may want to play along. It seems that we have a spy." He whispered into her ear, giving the appearance that they were exchanging sweet thoughts.

Serena remained still but scanned the courtyard and saw Felix all the way across the lawn talking with a guard by the palaces entrance. He was trying his best not to seem to obvious but his awkward stance gave him away. She knew Felix only meant well by checking on them but now she was going to have to go along with Anatols little act.

"Now I suggest you behave." He whispered, sending a shiver of sheer terror down her spine. He moved his hand down to her lower back and pressed them together, meeting his lips with hers, causing her to immediately shut her mouth and remain unresponsive until he forcefully grabbed her wrist and placed her arm around his neck making her squirm. His grip was so tight she knew she would have a bruise from it. She tried not to scream in protest as he continued to kiss her, trying to get a response out of her, but she remained still, balling her hand into a fist around his neck, using all her will power not to punch him out. Darien's face popped in her mind, making her wince even more at the feeling of his lips on hers. Darien's felt so natural and warm, were Anatols were detached and cold.

"I will make you mine." He murmured; his voice husky and full of pure lust. His goal was now not only to get the kingdom, but to win her. Every man in the immortal realm talked about the renowned Earth Princess, her unusual corky, beauty, and how wonderful she would be to have. Though these men saw her as a person, Anatol saw her as a prize, as something he wouldn't mind coming home to that would take care of every whim he had.

"I am going to bed now." She stated unemotionally, and began to detangle herself from him.

"You better go straight there." He snarled one last thing in her ear before he turned on his heel and marched towards the palace gates.

Serena began panic as she walked along to her chambers. What did he mean by that? Why wouldn't she go straight there? She became rattled at the thought that he knew about her and Darien, but how was that possible? They had only kissed this afternoon and they haven't been out in public together besides a couple of nights ago and Anatol was down in Tartarus so how would he have known?

She kept walking, too lost in her thoughts to even look up until she bumped into someone, spooking her out of her theories. She let out a slight screech as she felt a hand slip over her mouth, making her instinctively send a swift punch into the gut of the person but it was skillfully blocked.

"Serena calm down!" Darien ushered her to stop struggling as he released her from his grip. Her face went a bright crimson when noticed it was only Darien, making her feel like a fool for overeating. With a quick look over her shoulder to make sure no one was in the corridor she dove into his surprised but willing arms, burying her face into his chest.

"What is wrong my princess." He whispered, stroking her hair soothingly, trying to calm her down.

"Nothing." She whispered back, now pushing him back into the open door that he had previously exited from.

"Nothing?"

"Yes, nothing." She sighed, relaxing under his touch, and melting into his embrace when she closed the door knowing they were now safe from any peering eyes. Serena knew she shouldn't mention anything yet about Anatol, she needed more evidence before she could say he knew for sure. But for now she was comfortable just being held and cared for by Darien.

"You are a terrible liar." He chuckled pulling up her chin with his finger, but his eyes still held sadness.

"I know." She breathed before their lips met, sending tingles all through her body as they melted into each other. Her hands trailed along the planes of his face, tracing his features trying to remember every inch of his perfect face that rivaled that of Adonis and Aphrodite combined.

"You should go and get some rest." He sighed, taking in a breath between a kiss, closing the distance again, not seeming to get enough. Her scent was intoxicating to him, her long blond hair so inviting to touch and her blue eyes that he got swept away in, making him forget about his General worries and duties.

He pulled away from her, letting his hands slide down here arms to hold her hands but he instantly let go when he notice her wince when he hit her wrist.

"Are you ok?" He asked, concern filling his voice as he gingerly took her hand in his and examined her wrist which was forming a bruise.

"Oh, yes." She yanked it back and cradled it against her chest ignoring the pain that shot through it at the jerky movements.

"Who did that?" He questioned, holding out his hand until she reluctantly placed hers back and let out a sigh.

"It is nothing, I am just accident prone." She mumbled, refusing to meet his intense gaze as she grimaced when he applied pressure on her wrist.

"If it was him-"

"Do not worry, I can handle him." She hushed him, taking her hand back and hugged him, trying to get off the topic. "It barely hurts. For now my goal is to go along with whatever the fool has planned."

Darien calmed his emotions down and returned her embrace before letting go and kissing the top of her head.

"So will I see you tomorrow?" She worried, her brow frowning making him laugh at her expression.

"Unfortunately I will be away at a meeting and will not be back for a couple of days, I was just on my way to leave and say goodbye to you before we bumped into each other."

His expression fell to one of seriousness was he realized he would have to report back to his father tomorrow and stared down at Serena who kept on a calm façade.

"Well that is your duty, you must do it. Goodnight General" She smiled, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes as she kissed him on the cheek before she turned on her heel and headed back to the door.

"Wait!" He called as he ran up to her and pulled her back in for one last embrace, inhaling her enchanting scent one last time before smiling down at her and opening the door letting her through.

"Until then." She parted towards her chambers as he went the opposite direction towards the palaces entrance.

"Until then."

* * *

**A/N: I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE MOVING TO FAST I DON'T LIKE IT! That is why am restircting myself from using the L word...LUIGI...no LOVE but yeah, hence why im sending Darien away for some time, as well as Anatol and WE SHALL HEAR MORE ABOUT THE THREAT! WOOT! Hopefully new chapter out tomorrow night!**

**Ciao Bella!**


	10. Moving In

**A/N:**

**Sorry about the late post, i know i am terrible... :3 Well anywho longish chapter so ENJOY and some fluff next chapter ok?!**

**Well review and shit and i LOVE YOU ALL.**

**WOOT WOOT IT'S MIDNIGHT. Why am i awake?**

**Ok**

** Ciao Bella and enjoy :3**

* * *

Serena jerked out of bed when she heard a banging coming from the entrance of her chambers, making her grumble as she dragged her sleep deprived self towards the entry way and pulled her robe around her before she opened it.

"Good, you're up." Anatol muttered, barely looking at her before turning back around and heading across the hall towards an open door.

"What is going on?" Serena asked, still half asleep as she followed behind him, curious of all the noise.

"I am moving in darling, as you wish." He held a cocky smile on his face and pulled Serena into him to embrace her. She instantly shrugged away and held onto her robe, making sure it was covering her thin nightgown that fell just above her knees. Her face went bright red at the realization of her poorly dressed form and folded her arms across her chest.

"And that requires all this noise?" She whined, rubbing her temples. She already had a bad headache again from this threat and now this noise?

"I am making my chambers a little homier." He grinned, making Serena feel uncomfortable which he seemed to enjoy a little too much.

Serena followed him through the door and past the entry way until they rounded the corner where in the sitting room now hung a five foot painting of Anatol, clad in the royal robes of Enceladus, Saturn looming in the background, the whole piece having a red wash to it.

"Your opinion my dear?" He asked lazily, now lounging gracefully on the open red velvet couch that was placed by the balcony doors.

"My opinion is that you must be related to Narcissus." She rolled her eyes but kept her voice quiet, avoiding the stares of the two servants that were placing the painting on the wall. She recognized them as the ones Gae had encountered a while ago, but didn't put much thought in it, the palaces maids and servants always changed.

"Well I am living here under your wish." He growled, sitting up on the couch and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Yes, that way we can get to know each other more." She replied blankly, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Not today; I will be leaving for a few days to tend to things with Hades so you will not see me. But when I come back we are to discuss the engagement party…" He chuckled to himself as he stood up and sauntered over to a fuming Serena.

"I shall see you in a few days my dear." He smiled down at her, trying and succeeding at making her feel inferior.

"Oh, how I will count the hours..." She mumbled, rolling her eyes and walking away from him as soon as the help left the room.

"You will miss me; soon enough you will." He let out a wicked grin and grabbed a hold of Serena before she could step away again.

"Anatol, what do you think you are doing?" She glared at him, failing to get out of his strong hold on her waist.

Lust began to fill his eyes, making him forget about everything else, just the warm body of the goddess in front of him. He greedily took her lips with his own, forcing himself onto her as she tried to struggle against him. He moved his hands from her waist to her face and held her there until he broke away for a breath. Serena saw her chance as he closed his eyes just for a second and slapped him across the face, causing Anatol to curse rather loudly.

"How dare you?!" His voice shook with anger as he closed in on Serena who was now back tracking towards the door, but kept her eyes leveled with his.

"How dare I?" She nearly shrieked back, shrinking down and retreating slowly.

Before Anatol could say anymore the two servants returned and went back to the painting to ensure it was hung right, interrupting the two.

"I shall see you in a few days." Serena glared at him with hatred as she turned on her heel and made her way out the door, practically running back into her own chambers.

"What are you two idiots doing?!" Anatol yelled at the two servants, spinning around to face them.

"Sorry Sir, we were just…" Nerio spoke but was cut off by the deadly glare that Anatol sent their way.

"I do not care what you think you were doing, I do care that you screwed everything up. Need I remind you two that I work in Tartarus and can ensure that there are two cells waiting down there for your souls." He stated, his voice rising with anger at each word, throwing daggers at them with his eyes.

"Sorry boss, but we received an urgent message…" Theron mumbled, barely making eye contact with Anatol.

"And what could be so urgent?!" He spat, closing the distance between them.

"_He_ called for you." Nerio spoke up, keeping his gaze on the floor.

Anatol froze in his tracks and stared straight ahead, not really seeing what was in front of him.

"I shall be back. Watch that foolish princess and make sure she is not up to anything. Theron, Nerio, I am watching you." He ordered and left the room without another word, his royal cape trailing behind him sending a slight breeze through the otherwise still room.

"Yes boss…" Theron and Nerio said in unison, rolling their eyes at each other as they went back to fix the painting.

"So father, what do you think we can do?" Darien asked, staring deep into his father's eyes, confused about the whole situation.

"Well so far all we can do is wait. Hades is to believe that Nalalia is somehow communicating with someone yet he has not found any leads to this hypothesis, and who ever she is talking to, is most likely who is doing these things to Earth." Ares stated blankly, looking intently at the map of the northern sector of Earth.

"We have to play the waiting game then." Darien sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, letting the stress overcome him for a second. It was different if they could do something, but all they could do was sit there and wait.

"For now, just keep an eye on the Princess, I do not know how this thing is not being detected by the Queen, it is almost like it is targeting her, and that has me worried." Ares directed him, leaning away from the map and into the chair that sat behind him.

Darien's throat tightened at the mention of Serena, but he kept his face composed, not letting his all-knowing father see the desire that danced in his eyes.

"Yes father. Now if you wouldn't mind I would like to go have a rest, I will discuss this further with you tomorrow." Darien prepared to leave and adjusted his uniform to make sure his royal red cape hung right on his shoulders.

"Before you leave, do you suspect anyone yet?" Ares asked, stopping Darien in his tracks towards the doors.

"No, not yet. I have gained close relations with my fellow commanders and they have both agreed to help keep an eye out for me. And before you question me, no my cover has not been blown, no one knows of my status." He rolled his eyes at the last part, causing his father to laugh.

"You know me to well son." Ares chuckled and smiled at his son before Darien closed the door. "Have a pleasant rest my son."

"Mother, did you have to move Anatol so close to me, and so early in the morning?" Serena complained, storming into her mother's study, not even bothering to close the door.

"Were you not the one who asked for him to live here?" Her mother questioned, not even glancing up from her paperwork. Apparently the mortals have started a war over some farm land and she had to deal with this issue sooner rather than later.

Serena gulped and regained her composure, realizing she was going to have to play along.

"Yes, I was just not expecting him to move in so…early." She said, leaning against the bookcase that hid her little hideaway.

"Well my dear, these things happen fast when crisis is all around us." Gaia chuckled to herself, adjusting her brown hair that was pulled back into an elegant bun.

"Is there anything I can do?" Serena asked, trying to change the subject to something that didn't want to make her vomit.

"For now I am heading to Athens to deal with this dispute between the mortals so I need to you deliver this to Ares for me. It is rather urgent and I haven't had time to contact him yet but he mentioned he was going to be on Mars for the week so he should be there." Gaia stood up and placed a scroll in her daughter's hands.

"Felix has informed me that Anatol left early this morning and the General has everything under control at the base so there is nothing to worry about here. Felix and Gae will both look after things." Gae smiled, and headed towards the door.

"Wait, I thought the General was…"Serena began to say but was cut short by her mother.

"Thank you darling, and be careful that scroll contains important information." And with that Serena was left standing there wondering what her mother meant. Darien told her that he was away, but her mother seems to believe he is at the army base. Did he lie to her?

Serena became anxious and started out of the study towards her chambers to get her things, barely looking up as she walked. She reached her room and placed the scroll in a satchel and placed her favourite white cloak around her narrow shoulders and raised the hood, tucking her long blonde hair inside.

Heading back out, she made her way to the palaces room that was only meant for the royals of the palace and the most trusted of advisors; the room that linked the palaces of the immortal realm. Now standing in the middle of the barren room she calmed herself and tried to shake off the insecurities about Darien, it was probably just a misunderstanding with her mother, nothing too big. Serena closed her bright blue eyes and let out a sigh, letting the feeling of tranquillity take over every vein and bone in her body until she felt the familiar tingle spread through her, transporting her. The atmosphere around her changed, alerting her that she arrived at her destination. She hated teleporting but it was faster than taking the chariot and she knew that she had to get this scroll to Ares. She sighed and opened her eyes to face the gate that stood on the red surface of Mars, the palace of Ares.

"Who goes?" A guard questioned, trying to get a look at the face that was hidden by the cloak.

"The princess of Earth; kind soul." Serena smiled, removing her hood and letting her hair unravel itself and flow down her back like a waterfall of silk, causing the two guards to stare in awe at the young goddess.

"Is his majesty expecting you?" The second guard asked in a softer voice, lowering his weapon.

"No, but I carry an important message. I shall only be awhile." She let out a soft smile, trying her best to win over the guards.

"Let me just send a messenger to alert his highness that you are here." The taller of the two smiled, and made his way to the tower by the gate. Serena could hear him talking to someone before she heard the gate open and noticed a small boy running full speed up the long path towards the palace.

Serena waited calmly, not making any attempt to talk to the guards who wouldn't stop admiring her. She let out a sigh when she saw the lad making his way back down towards the gate, not even realizing she was holding her breath. The blonde haired boy whispered to the guard, glancing over at Serena nervously between every word.

"Liro will escort you up to God Ares conference room ma'am." The guard gestured to the kid, pushing him roughly forward towards Serena.

"Thank you." She bowed and joined Liro who stayed silent as he began walking, Serena following in step.

"So how old are you?" Serena asked, looking down at him with a smile, trying to kill the awkward silence between the two.

They had already reached the palace and were now walking through the dark coloured halls that seemed to go on forever.

"Eight ma'am." Liro nearly whispered, not even making eye contact with her. "We are here." He stated, pointing towards the large black marble doors that dominated the section of the wall.

Before Serena could turn around and thank him he was already gone, barely making a sound.

"Strange child." She muttered, adjusting her hair and cloak, noticing the contrast of her white cloak on the black surroundings. Letting out a quick sigh she pushed open the heavy doors and stared into the dark burgundy eyes of Ares who sat at the head of the marble table that dominated the space.

"Princess Serena, how unexpected."

* * *

**Sorry if this is confusing, i hope it isn't...I am trying to pull all the story lines into one so it is easier haha**

**ok so any questions feel free to ask my loves!**

**Ciao **


	11. Love

**WOOT biggest chapter yet and i reached over 20,000 words! WOOT WOOT.**

**Sorry for any confusion in this chapter of any others, feel free to ask me about anything :)**

**Ciao, Review nad enjoy! :3**

* * *

"Sorry for the short notice, but my mother gave me something that she said I must deliver right away." Serena bowed in respect of the higher god and made her way across the cold, marble floor towards Ares.

"Not an issue my dear, I just finished my meeting." He smiled, taking the scroll from Serena as she handed it to him.

"Oh." She exclaimed, awkwardly fiddling with the hem of her cloak not sure what she should do.

"Have a seat my dear." Ares chuckled, gesturing towards an open chair on the other side of the table.

Serena let out a nervous smile and made her way around to the seat as Ares unraveled the scroll and read the contents.

Serena studied the gods face as he read, to absorbed in the parchment to notice her stares. Though Serena has met Ares on several occasions she never really talked to the higher gods; they tended to stay within their own palaces, only meeting for important matters involving the immortal realm and some social affairs. The only other high god she had conversations with was Aphrodite, her mother's close friend, and then it was only during rather large social affairs. She almost grumbled at the realization that the next big event would be her own engagement party, and that was something she was not looking forward to.

Pushing the thoughts out of her head she glanced back up at Ares who was intently reading. Mortals believed him to be the god of war, most other gods not wanting to be around him on their own free time besides her mother and Aphrodite, who Serena knew they had a thing. He could be serious and Serena believed he had the right to, he had the security of the entire immortal realm on his shoulders and Serena admired him for that, even if sometimes his ways were harsh and brutal. But his cruel ways were hidden by his features, like all the gods he was undeniably beautiful, with pitch black hair and dark red eyes that showed the desire for blood in them. Serena's eyes stopped and loomed over his hair, something about it seemed familiar to her but she couldn't seem to place a finger on it.

Before she could go any deeper in her thoughts Ares cleared his throat, pulling her out of her mind.

"I hear that you have not been feeling well." Ares stated, tossing the scroll over to the side of the table.

"Oh, well a bit, but I am fine now." Serena tried to say with a smile, remaining still in her seat.

"You always have been strong-headed like your mother." Ares joked, making Serena let out uneasy laugh. "But in all seriousness we must prepare to do something. Has the General briefed you on everything?"

Serena's throat tightened at the mention of Darien and adverted her gaze from Ares hoping he did not notice the change in her. The insecurities from earlier flooded her mind but she shoved them back and tried to stop fidgeting with the hem of her cloak.

"Yes, he has been very thorough and professional." Serena began, almost smirking when she mentioned 'professional'. "He has already ordered Briareus and Leocadio to set up a base in the Northern division."

"I chose the right person for the job I see." Ares grinned at the thought but regained composure and plastered his usual serious expression back on.

"Yes, yes you did." Serena nodded in agreement but blushed, hoping he didn't notice another one of her slip ups.

"Well for now I must be off. If you walk down the hall and take a right on the second hall you should come to two doors, there you can teleport back home. I can trust you to see yourself out?" Ares asked, lowering his gaze.

"Yes, thank you." She smiled and pushed her chair away from the table and headed out the doors after a quick bow.

"Now where do I go?" Serena asked herself out loud, staring at the black walls that seemed to close in around her. She began to wander through the corridors, trying to find her way out, admiring the view out of the windows when she passed them. The planet's surface was a deep red, but thanks to Gaia and Poseidon it possessed water and vegetation in the towns and around the palace, the rest barren and stormy. She looked up into the sky that was constantly in overcast and grumbled beginning to become frustrated with this labyrinth she seemed to be trapped in. There were windows but she never found any doors, just flat marble walls that seemed to loom over her. She was used to the open aired corridors of her palace, and she began to feel suffocated in the cramped, closed in halls. She pulled her cloaks hood over her hair, tucking it back in and wrapped her arms around her chest, beginning to panic. Certainly no harm would come of her here but the feeling of getting lost scared her.

"Where is everyone?" She mused, taking another right and silently cursing herself. He gave her such simple directions, how did she mess them up so bad?

She stopped by a window and looked out onto the lush lawns that covered the palaces front, admiring the contrast between the red soil and green grass not paying attention to the sound of footsteps that approached her.

"How did I mess up such simple directions?" She moaned, resting her hands on the window sill and leaned forward, bowing her head down in shame. "I am such a fool."

"I will be back with your tea your majesty, and your father has left the palace and will not be returning until next week so he has told me to tell you that you can return to base tomorrow."

Serena's head snapped up at the voice and ran towards the corner, following the voice that echoed off the smooth walls. She peaked around the corner and saw a woman clad in a maids uniform leaving a room and now heading down the hall and before she could stop her and ask for directions.

Serena sighed, stepping around the corner and towards the large doors that dominated the wall there.

She felt her throat tighten but she shrugged her shoulders and relaxed, raising her hand to the door and knocked. She waited but no one came to the door making her whine and turn away, tightening her grip on her cloak, wrapping it around herself so it covered all of her dress.

"Just my luck." She muttered rolling her eyes in frustration. She had walked a couple of steps down the hall until she heard the sound of the door open and felt a large hand on her shoulder, making Serena nearly yell in excitement that she finally found someone in this maze.

"Who are you?" She heard a voice that spoke rather harshly, sounding as if they had just be woken up and was annoyed.

"Oh, I am sorry, I just got lost and I couldn't find my way to a certain room." She turned around but kept her face down and hidden, not wanting to look up at the man in front of her, beginning to feel awkward.

"How did you get over here." The man asked, pulling Serena out of her thoughts instantly when she recognized the voice, but she kept her face hidden under her cloak, her eyes wide with shock.

"This wing is restricted to visitors, I will send someone to escort you to were you need to go."

This was all Serena needed to here before she looked up at the man in front of her, letting the shock fully display on her face.

"Darien?!" She almost shrieked, staring into his deep blue eyes, completely confused. Why was he called majesty?

"Ser-Serena?" Darien hesitated, dazed in his own right. He reached up and slowly removed the hood on her cloak, letting her blonde hair fan around her face and down her back.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered, glancing nervously over his shoulder, not even making eye contact with her.

"I had to drop off something to Ares and I became lost." She mumbled, flinging her arms around in confusion in an attempt to explain but stopped and fixed her eyes on his face, her expression hardening.

"What about you? I thought you had things you had to attend to?" She questioned, turning the spotlight on him, making him snap out of his own shock.

"Come here." He murmured, grabbing her hand gently and leading her into the open door, taking one last glance before he shut it.

He leaned against the door and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, avoiding the burning stare Serena was giving him.

"What is going on?" Serena asked in a bewildered tone, throwing her hands in the air, but her eyes couldn't help but display her need to touch him, be close to him.

"Why did my father let you wander around here?" He whispered to himself, not realizing that Serena was in front of him still.

"Father?" Serena's eyebrows shot straight up, her jaw now hanging open.

"For the love of Tartarus!" Darien moaned, resting his head in his hands, slowly shaking his head.

Serena was too stunned to move, she just stood there, her mouth hanging open in a dumb looking way, almost making Darien laugh, but the stress of the situation stopped him.

"Are you saying… you are a…god?" She stuttered out, her expression leveling out into one of calmness instead of outright confusion.

"Yes." Darien responded in a whisper, stepping away from the door and towards a silent Serena. "I was not allowed to tell anyone. I am undercover to see if there is a mole in our system that is conversing with Nalalia." He stated, placing his hand on her pale cheek, noticing she didn't respond to his touch the way she usually did.

"Do not be mad." He begged her, bending down to look into her still eyes.

"I am not mad, it was an order, and there was nothing you could have done." She mumbled, mostly to herself, not looking up to match his stare.

"Please tell me what you are thinking."

"I am thinking that we now both have something to hide from others." She smirked, finally meeting his gaze, immediately getting lost in his dark blue eyes.

"You are silly." Darien chuckled, finally embracing her into his arms, Serena more than willing to snuggle into his hug. He caught her chin in his hands and brought her lips to his own, sending a shiver is pleasure down both their spines. Serena snaked her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to deepen the kiss, surprising Darien but he eagerly wrapped his arms around her waist, now half holding her up. Serena slowly let her lips part, letting his tongue slip into her mouth, the new feeling making her let out a light giggle. Their tongues explored each other's mouths, both fighting for dominance over the other, neither succeeding. Darien pulled away but didn't go too far, hungrily kissing her jaw down her neck to the base of her collarbone making Serena giggle again causing Darien to smile.

"You are silly aren't you?" He asked, pulling away to look into her eyes that shone with desire.

"Be quiet." She laughed, throwing her head back almost taking both of them down.

"Be careful darling!" Darien murmured, his face now buried in her hair, inhaling the scent he enjoyed so much.

"Sorry." She blushed, removing her hands from around his neck and placing them on his face.

She stared deep into his eyes, desire turning to sadness as she realized the situation she was in.

"Things are getting so complicated Darien." She mumbled, resting her head on his chest, trying to relax.

"I know." He replied, tucking her head under his chin and wrapping his arms around her.

"I am sorry, If I was not so incompetent I would not have gotten lost and then your cover wouldn't have been blown and then you would not be in risk of getting in trouble and I woul-" She began to ramble but was cut off by Darien's lips.

"Do not fret about it. I probably would have ended up telling you either way." He smiled down at her, trying to get a happy response out of her.

"So your father is Ares…" She stated, letting confusion set back into her head as she pondered over what this all meant.

"And Aphrodite is my mother." He finished her thought, making her look up at him.

"How come I have never met you before then? Our mothers are close friends." She asked, shock plastered on her face.

"My parents did not take me too many social events when I was younger." He sighed, a grim smile on his face.

Before Serena could say anything a knock came from the door startling them both, causing Darien to lead Serena into his closet with an apologetic smile as he dashed back towards the main entrance.

"Here is your tea." The older looking maid smiled, walking into his bedroom and placing the tray of tea on his desk that sat in front of the doors to the balcony.

"Thank you Viola." Darien thanked warmly, but tried to lead her back to the exit when he noticed her slow descent towards the closet.

"Do you not want me to take your laundry away?" She asked, confused by the Mars princes sudden urgency on her leaving.

"Do not worrying about it, you can come back tomorrow when I leave and take everything." He mumbled, his eyes darting between the maid and the closets slightly opened door.

Before Viola could even agree Darien had already lead her out the door, closing it behind her with a small smile on his lips.

Darien nearly ran back into his bedroom making a beeline for his closet to apologize to Serena but he couldn't find her when he stuck his head in to look.

"Gotcha!" Serena whispered with a giggle in Darien's ear, jumping onto his back as she moved out from her hiding spot.

"Watch it dear." Darien laughed, tumbling onto the bed with Serena rolling over beside him.

Darien wrapped his arms around her, embracing her against his chest and kissing her forehead in a tender way.

"You are coming back to Earth tomorrow?" Serena asked; hope filling her eyes as she kissed along his jaw, up along his cheek to his nose.

"Yes." He chuckled at the way she got so excited over something so small, it made his heart swell with the thought the he had made someone feel like that. He eagerly placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her, getting lost in the taste and feeling of her lips on his own.

Serena nestled herself in the crook of his arm, sighing in content as he tightened his hold on her, making her feel safer than she had ever felt before.

"Serena?" Darien murmured in complete relaxation, just enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms, knowing no harm would ever come of her if he was around.

"Mmm?" Serena acknowledged, closing her eyes and inhaling the sweet scent of him.

"I love you." He said lovingly, brushing his lips against her neck, sending chills down her spine.

Serena's eyes widen with shock but they slowly began to well up with tears of hope and joy, but she hid them and let out a small laugh.

"I…" The realization setting into her as she let out a huge grin. "I love you too."

* * *

**I used the L word! ugh i don't know if they're moving to fast, but for now, ehhh oh well.**

**Hope you enjoyed it, and new chapter in a few days!**

**Ciao Loves! :3**


	12. Secret Passage

"Darien…" Serena sighed as Darien tightened his grip on her.

"Mhmm?" He questioned, his eyes closed in content by the girl he embraced.

"I really do have to be on my way; otherwise my advisors may start worrying." Serena mumbled; her face squished in his chest, his arms tightly wrapped around her slender body.

"I don't want you to leave." Darien whispered into her ear causing Serena's spine to tingle and make her body tense in anticipation.

"But I must return before anyone notices that I have been gone for so long…" Serena tried to wiggle out of his embrace but Darien begun chuckling, tightening his grip.

"How can I let you go when you have such adorable reactions?" He whispered right in her ear again, causing her to tense up; any distance that they had before now non-existent.

"Darien!" Serena stuttered, embarrassment flooding her face with a scarlet red as she attempted to hide her face from him but he was too fast and already took one hand away from her waist and now held her chin.

"You are doing this on purpose, aren't you?!" He groaned, throwing his head back with a small chuckle, trying to remain calm.

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked, bewildered and confused as she untangled herself from him and sat up, looking down at him as he now rolled over onto his back.

"That!" He pointed at her face which was now contorted with a confused and worried look. "You are simply just too adorable my princess." He murmured the hand he pointed with now cradling her bright red face.

"And you are completely absurd!" She giggled, her face growing redder by the second at the realization of what he was talking about. She bent down and caught her lips in his, surprising Darien, her lips twisting into a smile as she heard him groan again and causing her to shiver with delight at how she could make him react. Serena never instigated the kiss first, Darien was the only one that ever did and to his liking he deepened the kiss, pulling Serena back down on the bed and slowly slipping his tongue into her mouth. She didn't giggle this time but let him take over, getting lost in the feeling of his hands travelling along her sides and his lips on hers. Darien left her lips, making his way to her neck; leaving butterfly kisses all along until he reached her cloak that was covering majority of her shoulders. He undid the gold medallion of Earth that kept the cloak tied up, letting it fall off onto the bed and exposing her bare shoulders; revealing her thin, white dress that was cut rather low.

"Darien…" Serena let out a little moan as he made his way along her shoulders to her collarbone causing her to reach for his face and bring his lips back to hers.

"Darien?" She breathed between their kisses, their eyes meeting.

"Hmm?" He replied, his lips taking hers again.

"In all seriousness I really do need to return." Serena sighed, pulling away and rested her forehead on his.

"What if I request that you do not leave" Darien pleaded, looking down at Serena's content face.

"I would simply have to refuse General; after all we have to keep any matters between us as professional as they can be." She giggled, getting up off him and the bed, grabbing her cloak and wrapped it back around her shoulders.

"Silly girl." He chuckled back, getting up with behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Now which way do I go? I seemed to have gotten lost last time I wandered around this palace of yours."

"I have a solution for that." Darien grinned, waddling behind her, arms still wrapped around her as he lead her towards the main entrance of his chambers and to the lone bookcase.

"A hidden door behind a bookcase? Isn't that a tad cliché darling?" Serena laughed, pulling away from him and softly stroked her fingers across the books, eyeing which one would be the trigger.

"My father had this built for me when I was young so I had an escape route in case we were ever invaded." He shrugged his shoulders and grabbed an old worn out leather bound book that seemed like it hadn't been cracked open in years.

The bookcase slowly slide open revealing a rather tall hallway that led to most rooms in the palace.

"I shall escort you there, my lady." Darien smiled, taking her hand in his large one, grabbing a torch off the wall with his other.

"Oh my, what a gentleman."

The two royals made their way towards the room similar to the one on Earth that linked the immortal realms together, listening to the echoes of their footsteps against the stone floor along the way until they reached a door marked with a circle.

"Well this will be of use in the near future…" Serena smirked, looking up at Darien and then back at the door.

"You are a vixen are you not?" He rolled his eyes and grinned but soon his face fell again. "I don't like the idea of sending you back with that 'man' there." Darien almost growled, his brows crumpling up over his eyes.

"Well you do not have to fret about that fool; he is gone for a few days." Serena sighed in relief at the thought of not having to see his face even if it was just for a couple of days.

"We will figure something out." Darien stated with such confidence Serena's heart began to beat faster causing her face to flush.

"I will see you tomorrow Darien?" She questioned, wrapping her arms around him one last time.

"Yes my love." Darien murmured back into her ear, loving it when she called him by his name.

They separated as Serena made her way into the room, meeting his eyes one last time before the door swung shut.

"Tomorrow." Serena beamed at the thought as the light began to fill her as she felt herself being transported back to her palace, back to her home.


End file.
